1) Take up handcrafting (Sewing, Knitting, Embroidery), because it will result in a birthmark on the baby's cheek.

Verdict: TRUE! The birthmark part is hard to say for sure, but this kind of activity done sitting down is bad for the baby because of poor blood flow...

2) Hang laundry

Verdict: TRUE! Not only hanging laundry, but any activity requiring you to lift your arms above your head is quite risky. It could lead to miscarriage...

3) Cross your legs

Verdict: TRUE..blah blah blah (don't feel like translating)

4) Sit in a doorway or climb through a window

Verdict: TRUE! You could catch a cold, and a doorstep is too low to the ground, and window-climbing is too strenuous (well, yeah).

Okay, as I went through these again I realized that they were replacing the more pagan explanations (borders between things are always dangerous) with a more modern twist. So they do sound rather sensible, but I still think there are too many rules. Because as we all know, women in "the family way" are to avoid stress, and scaring them away from each and every activity is not likely to have a calming effect!

I'm sure some more examples have come up in conversation, but I think the weirdest one for me personally was that I was "supposed" to have a C-section because I'm near-sighted and the exertion would rupture my retinas!

3 comments:

You were being rather bold to try that theme for a party in Russia, surely! The moment I started reading this, I knew that website HAD to be Russian! Now, we probably err on the other side of things....presuming anything "from the past" is "nonsense".

The vision of a pregnant woman climbing through a window is interesting to contemplate.

My eyes did not explode, thankfully. There were plenty of other body parts that suffered, though! But it is one reason I wanted to give birth in the U.S. rather than be forced to have a C-section in Russia.

Windows=border territory=danger zone! Yes, it would be a difficult task while pregnant!

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About Me

Update on our family:

Our son David was born July '12 and Sophia was born August '16. We spend the school year in St. Pete and do some traveling in the summer.

If you want to read more about a missionary's life in St. Petersburg, you can browse past posts. Key posts are linked below (under construction since the Link List gadget is borken) and there are also labels and archives further down the sidebar.